Ottawa's restaurant scene has a lot going on, new openings, shifting neighbourhoods, and the ever-present question of where to spend your hard-earned dining dollars. And when it comes to navigating it all, few voices carry more weight than Peter Hum, the Ottawa Citizen's longtime restaurant critic.
This week, Hum did something a little different: he invited readers to submit their burning food and dining questions directly, hosting a live Q&A session at noon through the Ottawa Citizen. Whether you've been wondering about the best new spots in Hintonburg, where to find the city's most underrated ramen, or how to snag a reservation at that impossibly booked-up Westboro bistro. This was your moment.
Why This Matters to Ottawa Diners
Restaurant criticism can feel like a one-way conversation, a critic goes in, eats, writes, and you read. What Hum's reader Q&A format does is flip that dynamic. It gives Ottawans a direct line to someone who has eaten at hundreds of local restaurants, knows the backstories, and can cut through the noise of Yelp reviews and Instagram hype.
For a city that's grown significantly as a dining destination over the past decade, with serious hospitality talent, more diverse cuisines, and a stronger food culture overall, having that expert guidance is genuinely useful.
Peter Hum: Ottawa's Restaurant Voice
Hum has been covering Ottawa's food scene for years, reviewing everything from high-end tasting menus to hole-in-the-wall ethnic eateries. His reviews in the Ottawa Citizen are known for being thorough, fair, and grounded in a real understanding of what makes a restaurant work, not just the food, but the service, the value, and the vibe.
His Q&A sessions are a favourite among Ottawa food enthusiasts precisely because he doesn't traffic in vague generalities. Ask him about a specific neighbourhood and he'll tell you what's worth your time. Ask him about a cuisine and he'll point you to the spots that actually do it right.
What Kind of Questions Got Asked?
While the full transcript lives on the Ottawa Citizen's website, these kinds of sessions typically surface some recurring Ottawa dining anxieties: Is the ByWard Market worth it anymore? What's happening in Little Italy? Are there any genuinely great vegetarian spots that don't feel like an afterthought? Where should I take my parents when they visit from out of town?
Hum handles all of it, the big-picture questions about Ottawa's food identity and the granular ones about specific menus or value picks.
Follow Along and Support Local Food Journalism
If you missed the live session, the Ottawa Citizen typically archives these Q&As so readers can browse the full exchange at their leisure. It's worth bookmarking, the kind of resource that saves you from a mediocre dinner when you're trying to pick somewhere special.
And if you haven't already, following Hum's work at the Ottawa Citizen is one of the better investments you can make as a local food lover. Good restaurant criticism is rare, and Ottawa is lucky to have it.
Source: Ottawa Citizen. This article is based on reporting from the Ottawa Citizen's restaurant critic Q&A feature.
